The Delilah Job
by EKSimmons
Summary: When the team tries to take down a drug company CEO, they are dropped into a deadly cat and mouse game with an assassin and an unknown mastermind with no idea which side of the fight they are on.


**The Delilah Job**

**Special thanks to Amanda C., Pam U., Barbara R., Bev Z. and Oksana K. for their suggestions for names and other details. Your help is greatly appreciated ladies.**

Clark Deyton couldn't believe his ears. He staggered out of his doctor's office in a fog. Kidney function had deteriorated and he was at great risk for failure sooner rather than later. It would be difficult to prove that the Amatheline trial had caused this, but when he knew two hundred other trial participants were in the same predicament- the conclusion was obvious.

* * *

"Two _HUNDRED _people?!" Sophie repeated.

"That's only the ones I've managed to locate. We all joined this trial hoping to find a non-steroid asthma treatment, Mr. Ford. Instead, we've gained bills for dialysis, hospital stays… Every person I've found from the trial has the same story," Clark explained.

"What happened in the legal channels?" Nate queried.

"We took them to court, but the company claims the trial never took place. They are planning a press conference on Friday. Word says they'll present proof that Amatheline is completely safe. Our attorney believes the case will be dismissed and they'll never have to answer for the trial. How many others are going to be hurt by this before this drug is taken off the market?"

"They denied the trial even took place?" Nate frowned and placed a finger against his lip.

"Yes, what does that mean?"

"That means you're right. If they go through the trouble of hiding the entire trial, it means that they have something major to cover up. They're hiding something they don't want exposed at any cost."

"So you're gonna help me?"

"We're going to help all of you."

"Thank you, Mr. Ford." Clark stood, shook Nate's hand, smiled at Sophie and took his leave.

"So we find what they're hiding, expose it and force the company to pay for the damage and remove the drug. It just doesn't seem like enough," Sophie sighed.

"It's not, but it's more than they expect and the best we can do," Nate replied.

Sophie shrugged in agreement, "I suppose."

"Let's get the team together. That press conference is going to put them AND us on a time limit. We may have to take some simple down and dirty tactics to get this one."

"As long as we stop them."

* * *

The team made quick time assembling once called. Hardison quickly gave the mark an once-over through the web.

"We don't have much time on this one. Friday- this man," Nate pointed at a picture on the screen "Theodore Spezia, intends to present evidence of the safety of Amatheline, a new asthma drug."

"However, the drug isn't safe- it's causing reduced kidney function and failure in the test patients, a fact that T.S. Pharmaceuticals is going to try and cover up," Sophie added.

"What's the plan?" Eliot replied.

"You and Parker are gonna do a sweep of the T.S.P. offices. There has to be something- proof of the effects, the cover up, something we can use," Nate explained. "Sophie will clear them out, you just find the evidence."

"How is Sophie doing that?" Parker asked.

"By convincing them she has the keys to their press conference," Nate smiled. "Let's go steal a cover up."

* * *

Sophie tapped on the reception desk at T.S. Pharmaceuticals, dressed in a sleek charcoal dress suit, her hair pulled back. The receptionist glanced up at her, "May I help you?"

"Clarice Felding. I'm your press liaison for the Amatheline case. I have a meeting with the board convening to discuss how to handle the press, questions, decorum and such…"

"That sounds an awful lot like PR... PR," the receptionist hemmed.

"Someone has to do it," Sophie quipped. "Do _you_ know how to have the media eating out of your hand?" She arched her eyebrow and cocked her head to the side.

The receptionist swallowed and shuffled her papers. "I'll let them know you're here."

* * *

"I'm set," Eliot whispered into the com. He was positioned across the crowded room from Spezia's office- a maintenance uniform and cart at his disposal.

"He should be leaving his office in the next five minutes or so for the conference," Nate remarked. He and Hardison sat in a van outside.

"Waiting," Parker added. A pair of glasses sat on her nose, a handful of folders in her arms as she crossed the lobby toward the elevator bank.

"I'll give you the all clea..." Eliot's voice trailed as his sweep of the room drew his eyes toward a figure in the shadows. He blinked and focused his gaze across the room. A dark figure hugged the wall about twenty feet from the mark's office. The figure was keeping tucked just inside an alcove created by the pillars that were located in each corner of the room. Eliot knew few people would have taken notice of the figure. An uncomfortable knot gripped him- he couldn't pin it but he knew something was wrong.

"Eliot, everything okay up there?" Nate asked.

After a deep breath, Eliot replied, "We might have trouble."

"Trouble?" Sophie sighed. She was greeting all the conference attendees as they entered the board room.

The room thinned as people returned to their offices or headed for the conference. Eliot circled the room to approach the shadow from behind. He grabbed the shadow's right shoulder and rolled into the alcove to hide the exchange from view.

The figure turned counter to Eliot's grip and faced him. A dark fedora was pulled down low over the face. An arm struck at Eliot, he countered. The two engaged in a quick flurry of swings and blocks- neither one gaining ground.

Eliot couldn't shake the strange feeling in his gut. There was SOMETHING about this whole exchange that seemed odd. He wasn't getting anywhere with this approach, so he decided to change tactics. He began an upper cut, once the opponent began to block, Eliot dropped his swing and struck the mid chest. A decidedly feminine choke escaped from beneath the fedora. The sound took Eliot aback. His stunned reaction gave his female opponent an open window, she dug her heel into the side of his knee. As he stumbled and caught himself, she hooked his right arm up into hers and swung around behind him. He began to twist his arm free when he felt a pressure against his lower spine. The location was precise- a flick of the wrist and the fight would be the last one he ever had. Eliot shook his head.

"Spencer," the woman growled.

Finally, Eliot realized what his gut had been trying to tell him. "Delilah," he answered with a crooked smile.

"He's mine." Delilah looked up at the clock across the room; Spezia had already left his office. "Get in my way again, I WILL kill you," she huffed.

Eliot opened his mouth to explain but the blade against his spine recoiled and the hilt met his face before a syllable could leave his lips. He flinched to protect his face as his arm was released. When he stood back up and turned, Delilah was gone.

"ELIOT!" Nate shouted in the com. Eliot realized the team had been trying to talk to him the whole time.

"I'm alright. This job just got a hell of a lot more complicated though."

"How complicated?" Hardison asked.

"Assassin."

"Oh…" Hardison choked.

"Yeah," Eliot responded flatly.

"If it's clear, you and Parker get what we need and get out. Sophie, you follow," Nate ordered.

"Hurry up, Parker," Eliot added.

* * *

After regrouping, the team gathered back at their hotel. Eliot leaned back in a chair, his left leg up on the table, a bag of ice perched on the knee. He dabbed an icepack against his bruised cheek. Hardison had his laptop open on the other side of the table. His eyes were wide and staring at Eliot. Nate and Sophie stood quietly to the side of them.

"What!?" Eliot burst in annoyance as Parker exited the bathroom.

"I'm still surprised you're alive," Hardison answered.

"Who's alive?" Parker asked as she plopped down on the bed behind Hardison.

"Eliot… I mean DELILAH? Whooooooooooo," Hardison breathed nervously.

"Hardison," Nate interrupted.

"Ahem," Hardison turned the laptop screen so Parker, Nate and Sophie could see. The screen filled with a list of names and locations. "Delilah- also known as Death Flower, I love the irony on both of those by the way- delicate, flower…"

"Hardison, could you keep it going?" Nate rolled his eyes as he spoke.

"Right, so… Delilah: hired gun, assassin… no real name, no photos, nothing. This woman is a literal ghost. She works on referral, little to no physical contact with her clients. She's a chameleon; no description of her ever matches another."

"She's a grifter," Sophie smiled.

"Yeah," Hardison commented, "A grifter that will kill you. She has eighty confirmed hits in her first ten years with a rumored involvement in a hundred more. So, safe to say, an average ten to fifteen hits a year. Then she dropped off the grid for about eighteen months. There were rumors she was killed or nabbed but without a body or news coverage…. She finally officially reappeared a few months ago, but she's been kind of low key- only two hits."

"Well she took her name from one of the most famous and deadly female grifters. Delilah single-handedly took down the strongest man alive using charm, tact and sex. You have to expect her to be dangerous," Sophie bit her lip.

"She can kill you in every way you can imagine, and about a million more you can't," Eliot began as he stared at a spot on the wall unemotionally. He sighed before looking at all of them and continuing, "Picture me. Now add Sophie's ability to blend into any situation, Parker's stealth, Nate's quick thinking, and enough Hardison to fool a network of security cameras. THAT is Delilah."

"Why does it feel like you've crossed her before?" Hardison swallowed.

"Worked with her a couple times," Eliot answered.

"Go on…" Hardison pushed.

"She did a few jobs for Moreau, are you satisfied?"

"Why only a few? Her line of work seems like it would be a perfect match…" Sophie pried.

Eliot couldn't help the small chuckle as he recalled. "Believe it or not, she's got a moral code. Check that list of names again and you'll see that they're all terrorists, arms dealers, slave traffickers, Mob bosses- hardened killers. She won't take anything less. When Moreau hired her on, she took out his competition- others like him. Then he asked her to take out an Attorney General, she refused and he sent his top twelve men after her. She sent them back in a box."

"I assume that was enough of a warning?" Hardison choked.

"Oh, yeah. I'd never seen fear like that on his face before or after. She literally scared him. He never sent another man after her."

"So you never got sent after her?" Hardison asked.

"I was lucky 13," Eliot smiled. Everyone took an awkward breath.

"So she's essentially responsible for your promotion with Moreau?"

Eliot frowned, "Yeah, I never thought of it that way."

"Which begs the question… if she only goes after hardened killers, why is she after Spezia?" Nate posed. "Hardison, what did you manage to get from his files?"

"Like Parker and Eliot, nothing. At least nothing that helps us," everyone stared at him in confusion. "There is no record of the trial, the participants, even the drug isn't the same. Whatever our client was given – it wasn't Amatheline."

"So we blanked out?" Eliot scowled.

"Oh, worse. I found a ton of emails and memos between Spezia, TSP's lawyers, PR and several neutral doctors. Spezia has been taking the drug for a year himself with no adverse effects. And there is a ton of evidence. He plans to go public with it at the press conference on Friday."

"So Spezia's innocent?" Parker pouted her lips.

"Looks like it."

"So the question becomes who DID do it and why? And what exactly did they give the trial patients?" Nate contemplated.

"And what is worth hurting so many people over?" Sophie added.

"And how do we stop Delilah from killing an innocent man?" Nate stared at Eliot.

"The Delilah I know wouldn't kill him if she knew, problem is getting her to listen long enough to know," Eliot explained.

"Any ideas how to do that?" Hardison doubted.

"I got one, but I'll need help." Eliot stared at Parker who smirked.

"All right, Parker- you're with Eliot. Let's go steal us an assassin," Nate grinned.

* * *

"How do you know she'll come back here?" Parker asked as she, Sophie and Eliot approached the TS Pharmaceutical building.

"Of all the places she could take him out, she picked the one with the most possible witnesses, the most security and the longest escape route. The only reason to do that is if she HAD to get into his office too. She'll come back here to try again," Eliot reasoned.

"Why not just kill him somewhere else and break into the office separately?"

"Too much risk, doubles the chances of being spotted. Also you run the risk of alerting someone. If you hit the office too soon, it could heighten his personal security- or reverse, kill him and it could have the building swarming with cops."

"That wouldn't work too well."

"No," Eliot shook his head as he held the door for the girls to enter before following them into the lobby. Sophie gave a single nod as she approached the front desk.

"I need to speak with Mr. Spezia right away. There's been an issue with the press conference and I need to meet with him and the board members NOW," Sophie barked. The receptionist looked up in fear.

Parker and Eliot made their way to the elevators.

* * *

Delilah approached the office with a folder. She wore a deep navy suit and her hair was pulled back and up. A low level security badge was clipped to her lapel. After patting her pocket, she rapped on the door softly.

"Make it quick- I have a lunch meeting," the voice inside answered.

She opened the door and began her approach. "I just need your signature on these files…"

Once Delilah crossed the door jam, a hand grabbed her right wrist firmly. She was yanked into the room, around the door and pinned face first into the wall just behind the door. Her arm was braced up behind her back. The folder hit the floor as the door slammed shut.

"I warned you, Spencer!" she hissed.

"Delilah, you need to listen to me," Eliot was breathing down her neck as he held her pinned as tight as he could manage.

She made a dramatic sigh and Eliot paused. In one fluid motion, she pushed off the floor with her feet, slid her knees in front of her chest and kicked off the wall- shoving her body back into Eliot. The suddenness of the movement forced him to release her wrist in an effort to maintain his footing as he stumbled backward. Delilah landed crouched down on her hands and feet like a cat.

"You stay there!" Eliot ordered in the direction of the desk.

Delilah glanced over. The oversized leather chair was facing the wall, but the tremble of the chair itself gave away the occupant's presence.

"I'll be with you shortly," Delilah added.

"You need to listen to me," Eliot tried to plead with her again.

"I don't have time to mess around today, Spencer. Stay the hell out of my way!" she stood and approached the desk.

Eliot grabbed her arm once again. She tried to kick him, but he deflected it with his forearm- knocking her flat. She rolled clear of him and sprang to her feet again, her hair beginning to come undone.

"You could have just listened for a minute and saved both of us a lot of trouble," he sighed.

"And missed kicking your ass twice?" she laughed as Eliot glowered at her. "Why are you half speeding this? Bring it!"

"Why are you?" Eliot chided back.

She charged again, once more he took hold of her wrist. A scowl crossed her face.

"You're not even trying. You know me better than that. I won't be nice just because you refuse to fight back," she sniped.

"Actually I do know you… that's why I'm counting on it," Eliot countered.

Delilah snorted and swung her other arm. He grabbed the second wrist and immediately charged toward the desk. Her thighs hit the edge of the desk and she folded on top of it. Eliot slid over to her side, his arms to his side holding her against the desktop. He hoped it would be enough to prevent a kick or a shove. His answer was short in coming when he felt her leg wrap high around his thigh and begin to climb rapidly. His eyes widened and he pulled her back up on her feet before she could finish.

"Ha ha ha, you men are so easy," she laughed.

"Sorry, Delilah," he apologized.

A sharp pain coursed in her throat. She stared at Eliot, her eyes wide with shock and disappointment. He looked past her. Parker stood at the desk, the empty leather chair spun like a top behind her. The syringe, buried deep in Delilah's throat, Parker held in her clutches with a smile.

"You…. You cheat…" Delilah slurred as her eyes slowly closed.

"If you would have just listened," Eliot reminded her.

Delilah's eyes rolled back before they closed and her body slid down the front of the desk. Eliot released her wrists in order to catch her falling form as Parker removed the needle.

"Thanks, Parker," he sighed.

"That was fun," she grinned.

"Let's clear out of here. Sophie, we'll be clear in a minute."

* * *

"How much did you pay for this hole?" Eliot griped. He looked at the garage door behind them. The storage unit the team stood inside had rust holes everywhere. Hardison and Nate had arranged the unit into a makeshift soundproof room. The team stood between the unit's door and the door into the small room they had built.

"Hey, man, do you realize how difficult it is to find a storage unit this size with little outside traffic that doesn't have one of those damn reality shows filming on it? This is what we got or rather YOU got. She's your friend, you're paying for the locker," Hardison snapped. Eliot rolled his eyes.

"I think she's coming around," Sophie interrupted. All four of the team members looked at Eliot sympathetically. He took a breath to calm himself before opening the door.

Delilah's eyes opened slowly. She was lashed to a steel chair- her forearms to the arms, her calves to the legs. It took a moment for the situation to sink in completely. Once her brain processed the information, she began to stress. She gave a vain tug against all the lashings but they were secure. Eliot entered the room through a door to her left. The same wall held a two way mirror- an interrogation room she decided.

"Sorry, it was the only way to get you to listen," Eliot explained.

"Damn you, Spencer!" she hissed. "Let me out of this chair and I may spare your friends on the other side of that mirror."

"He didn't hurt those people," Eliot continued. "We have proof."

"Hurt who? I don't know what you're talking about! I'm supposed to kill him without prejudice…" Delilah answered.

"You were going to plant a suicide note in his office and use the flash drive in your pocket to destroy the evidence that his company wasn't responsible for the fake trial. We already checked everything."

"So I have to kill you and your accomplices to make it work?"

"What happened to you? It was never about the contract – it was always merit."

"You think this is about a contract or the thrill of the kill?" she shot at him. She spit toward his feet, "How dare YOU lecture ME about merits. I KNOW what you've done!"

Eliot swallowed. "What is it?"

Delilah shook her head. "No. There's one option for me. HE will die, and I'll get it done no matter what. Now you can turn me loose and get out of my way- or I can take you and any of your friends down with him. You choose."

"I can't let you, Delilah. I don't know what's going on, but I know this isn't you."

"Damn you, Spencer!" She thrashed in vain, her face flushed and tears welled in her eyes. Her breathing became deep and the movement of her chest more pronounced. The thrashing had caused the necklace she wore under her shirt to slide out on top.

Sophie caught sight of it, a single emerald hung from the chain.

"Hardison, what month did she drop off the grid?" Sophie asked.

Eliot watched Delilah for a moment. She started to shake, fighting tears. He tried to convince himself it was just a desperate performance by a known grifter.

"October…. Why?" Hardison answered.

"That's it. She wasn't in jail for those eighteen months. She was pregnant," Sophie realized.

The team stared at her in shock, including Eliot who heard her over the coms.

"What?" Hardison choked.

"The necklace around her throat, it's a mother's necklace. Emerald- May- count back nine months, September, but maybe she didn't find out until October, I don't know. She's pregnant for the first nine months, and the second nine months she was getting back into form. Easing herself back to work- explains the slow rate."

"That does make sense," Nate admitted.

Eliot turned his gaze back to Delilah. "You've got a kid?"

Delilah's eyes filled with fire. "How did you… if you have ANYTHING to do with this, Spencer, I PROMISE you there is nowhere you and your friends can hide!"

Sophie opened the door and entered. "The necklace told us. That's what this whole thing is about, isn't it? You're not under contract, you're being blackmailed. That's why you didn't want to hear what Eliot had to say. You don't want to kill Spezia, so you don't want to know how innocent he is."

Delilah bit her quivering lip as she closed her eyes in shame.

"Why didn't you say something?" Eliot demanded.

"Say WHAT, huh? That I'm being blackmailed into a hit because of a daughter NO ONE is supposed to know I have? It doesn't change anything. I have to finish the job before the press conference or they'll kill her," Delilah explained.

"Who are they?"

"I don't know. You really think I would be stalking this guy if I knew? All the communication has been via email, text and phone call. They covered their tracks well. Voice was scrambled, they never used the same account and they used several proxy servers."

"Did you save the texts and emails?"

"Everything is on my phone, but I told you, I tried to track them- nothing."

"YOU did, but WE didn't. Hardison- see what you can do," Eliot barked.

"You told her my name?! I'm a dead man. I am SO coming back to haunt you, man," Hardison griped as he pulled Delilah's cell phone from his bag.

"She's not gonna kill you, Hardison."

"What does an assassin _DO_, Eliot? That's right_- _KILL PEOPLE!"

"Dammit, Hardison, I'll kill you if you don't shut up!"

"All this killing talk… kill Hardison- I don't know why I stay with you people."

"Just try to find out who did this." Eliot pulled a knife from his pocket and approached Delilah's arm. "We find out who did this, we get your daughter back and nobody dies…. Agreed?"

"Hardison? Is that the Hardison I think it is?" she sniffled.

"Whiny hacker? Yeah," he answered with a sly smile.

"HEY!" Hardison cried. He realized the cry didn't help his argument and went back to work.

"Why?" Delilah stared Eliot in the eyes.

"Because this is what we do." Eliot cut her arms free and knelt down to free her legs.

"So the Robin Hood rumors are true? You and these friends?" she asked as she rubbed her arms.

"Guilty," Eliot smiled. He cut the last rope and stood up.

"That's a LONG way from Moreau," she nodded slowly.

"Yeah, it is. Long enough," he replied.

"Ahem," Sophie coughed.

Eliot and Delilah turned to look at her. "Delilah- meet Sophie." The girls exchanged handshakes and hellos as Parker and Nate entered the room. "And this is Parker and Nate."

"So this is Parker," Delilah smirked.

"Hi," Parker waved with a grin, "Sorry about that whole drugging thing earlier."

"Nate Ford, pleasure," Nate shook her hand.

"Let's go see how Hardison is doing," Eliot suggested.

* * *

"What did you find?" Nate asked. The team, plus Delilah, had returned to the hotel to allow Hardison to utilize better equipment in his search. He had the table covered in electronics. Nate and Sophie sat on the edge of the bed, looking over his shoulder. Parker took up residence in a chair to his side. Eliot stood, arms crossed, at the foot of the bed while Delilah paced between him and the door.

"I located the software signature, just trying to get a name matched to it," Hardison answered.

"I should kill him. He stole her right out of her mother's arms. He doesn't deserve to live," Delilah muttered.

"Hold on…" Hardison cried. "The guy I'm tracking was able to take her right out of YOUR arms? Oh, I'm out, Nate." He threw his arms in the air as he spoke.

Delilah paused and stared at Hardison- her face twisted in confusion. "Not MY arms." She shook her head very slowly.

"But you said mother's arms," Parker confirmed.

"Look at me. I travel the world and kill people for a living. I'm not exactly the pride of the PTA and Soccer mom association. I can't be the mom Elena needs or deserves- that's why I gave her up," Delilah sighed.

"What about the father?" Sophie queried.

"He loved her, but he couldn't keep her either. His job… let's just say the whole thing was complicated and this was best for everyone."

"So she was abducted from her adoptive parents. So whoever did it had to have access to that information," Sophie redirected out of respect.

"That's easy. Those records are 'sealed' but just about any hacker could access them if they have a starting point such as a parent's name or birth date," Hardison explained.

"But how did they know?" Delilah frowned.

"They had to know about your daughter AND they would have to have your name to locate her," Eliot pointed out.

"Exactly."

Hardison's computer beeped. "Got it!" He hit a few keys to open the information as the team crowded in close to the screen.

"The signature belongs to Carlos Amentia- known by his hacker handle Titus. He's one of the power hackers… or was until about five years ago when he went legit and started working for the FBI as a computer security consultant."

"Check it again," Delilah stated.

"The computer automatically triple checks everything. It IS his signature," Hardison answered.

Delilah slammed her hand down on the only empty edge of the table she could find- next to the laptop keyboard Hardison's hands hovered over. "You're wrong! CHECK IT AGAIN!"

Hardison cringed, "I'm sorry, but that's it. I can't make it someone else. Well I could but it wouldn't help us… never mind."

She began to hyperventilate and grew nauseous. Eliot gently took her by the shoulders and sat her on the end of the bed. Sophie slid around next to her, hugging her shoulders.

"What's wrong? Who is Titus?" Sophie asked as she rubbed Delilah's shoulder.

"He's the father," Nate blurted as everyone stared at him. "Yeah. He's the father, which is how he knew where to look for her."

"Wait... so the assassin with a conscience got _busy_ with the hacker turned legit? Man, we got our own little criminal soap opera going on here," Hardison joked. Nate gave him a stern glare.

"Why?" Delilah cried softly, finally regaining control of her breathing.

"She's right, it doesn't make sense. A guy, who _chose_ to go work for the Feds, kidnaps and threatens to kill his OWN daughter- over a fake drug trial?" Eliot questioned.

"No, it doesn't make sense. We're still not seeing the whole picture," Nate admitted as Hardison's computer beeped again.

He hit a few keys and choked, "Well, the picture just got a hell of a lot less clear." Everyone turned toward the computer. A news article was open on the screen. The headline read _Body Pulled from River Identified. _The secondary line continued _Remains Identified as That of Missing FBI Consultant._

"Looks like Titus _isn't _our bad guy- he's dead," Hardison frowned.

Tears streamed down Delilah's face. Her chest tightened and she couldn't breathe. Panic set in.

"Put your head down," Eliot suggested. He and Sophie continued trying to calm her as Parker watched sympathetically.

"This is getting ugly, Nate," Hardison breathed. "Assassins, murder, kidnapping…"

"Yeah, I know, but there's a little girl's life at stake. Not to mention the life of our mark and all those innocent victims in the trial that started this. We have to figure out what is going on, and we need to start with TS Pharmaceuticals."

* * *

It took an hour for Sophie and Eliot to settle Delilah. Nate and Hardison continued trying to find the missing pieces to their puzzle.

"There are currently fifteen companies with significant budgets sunk into non-steroid asthma research," Nate announced. He and Hardison both utilized the laptops to double their search speed.

"We don't have time to investigate them all. The press conference is in less than 48 hours," Sophie reminded him.

"I know, we have to narrow it down."

"Fifteen companies- but only ONE run by Spezia's former business partner- Anna Pallax," Hardison grinned.

"Oh, that sounds promising…" Sophie ventured.

"Oooo," Hardison winced as he continued reading. "Former business partners AND exes, ouch. Apparently they took out the patent on Amatheline together. After the split- she took him to court for the patent. The court declared both joint holders of the patent until such time that a viable distributable version could be produced. Basically, first one to get a marketable version out wins sole custody of the patent."

"Amatheline is ready to go public," Nate continued.

"What about Anna's company?" Parker added.

Hardison laughed, "About three years behind."

"So Anna arranges a phony drug trial in her ex's name to sabotage the release, then goes to the trouble of tracking Delilah to arrange a fake suicide," Eliot muttered.

"Not originally," Nate interrupted. "She set up the phony trial- having had access to TSP long enough to make it look legitimate, but her goal was to stall the release. Eventually it would come out that the drug in the trial wasn't Amatheline. However, she didn't need to stop the release, only stall it long enough to get hers released first. Between the investigation and civil suits and the tests to determine viability, she could easily buy the three years she needs to release her own version."

"But if she didn't need to kill her ex to win the patent, why do it? I mean someone went through an awful lot of work to kill this guy," Hardison twisted his face in confusion.

"The Press Conference," Nate answered. "Her original plan would have worked, even if the truth came out, the blame would fall on some disgruntled former employee. She didn't count on Spezia using the drug himself. Word gets to her about the defense he has set up and she realizes that the only way to stop him is to kill him."

"Kind of coincidental don't you think?" Eliot interrupted.

"Exactly, if Spezia just disappeared or died mysteriously, people would be suspicious and she could be discovered. BUT if he dies from a suicide, it makes him look guilty."

"Not just a suicide," Delilah sighed. "When I kill him and wipe the computer, I'm supposed to give him an injection."

"Wait, the needle wasn't supposed to kill him?" Hardison panicked.

"No."

"What's in it?" Eliot asked.

"I don't know, but they wanted it injected before the blood flow stopped…"

"So it would spread," Nate thought. "Hardison, need you to identify what is in that syringe, and we need to check out Ms. Pallax."

"You have a plan?" Hardison grinned.

"Working on it. Eliot, Parker- you're with me. Hardison, I want you to keep tracking Titus. See if you can find out what they had him doing. Delilah should be able to help you."

"Come again?" Hardison choked.

"She knew him better than any of us. Anything unusual will be easier for her to see. Sophie can give you a hand as well."

"And what are you three doing?" Sophie pointed at Nate, Eliot and Parker.

"I need Eliot and Parker to track Anna, see if they can figure out where she's keeping Elena. I'm going to Pharmix to see what I can dig up."

Sophie edged up next to Nate. "Are you sure you don't need backup?"

"If Anna still has connections at TSP, we don't need them spotting you and blowing the con," Nate told her. He leaned in to whisper, "Besides, I want you here watching _her_. She may need you before we're done and I'm not sure Hardison can handle that." Sophie glanced at Delilah than gave Nate a single nod of understanding.

Eliot and Parker exited the hotel room, Nate following a moment behind.

* * *

Nate walked into the front lobby of Pharmix. He walked in cold- meaning he needed every ounce of confidence to sell his cover. His casual suit and briefcase blended into the atmosphere, allowing him to quietly approach the reception desk without drawing undue attention.

"Ahem," he swallowed when the receptionist ignored his appearance.

"May I help you?" the elderly woman replied.

"Harold Morrison. I'm with the FDA," Nate told her flatly.

The woman eyed him skeptically. "We don't have an appointment on record. May I inquire as to your reason for stopping here and I will need to see some verification of your identity, Mr. Morrison."

Nate handed her his ID. "Actually this is tied to the Amatheline investigation."

"Amatheline is our competitor's product. Why would you come here?" The woman was stubborn but also well versed for her position. It was going to take more than a smile to pass her. Nate stepped up his game.

"Yes, but the patent for Amatheline reveals that it shares its basic structure with your company's Bathaline asthma treatment. I'm here to audit all records to insure what is happening with Amatheline does not replicate with the Bathaline trials."

She digested Nate's excuse for a few moments before sighing. "I will page Ms. Pallax immediately."

"Thank you." Nate took a step back as the receptionist called upstairs. He took the moment to check in with the team. "Parker, Eliot, how are you doing?"

"We just got in," Eliot replied, standing in Pallax's kitchen with Parker. He nodded to her and they fanned out to search the house.

"I'll be meeting with her soon. Keep up the search and let me know what you find," Nate ordered.

"Right."

"Mr. Morrison." Anna Pallax's voice was commanding. Nate was surprised to see the voice came from the petite 4'10" frame of a middle-aged blonde.

"You can call me Hal," Nate offered.

"Hal," she replied flatly. "I understand you are here from the FDA. You want to make sure our Bathaline asthma treatment isn't going to cause the kidney issues our competitor's similar product does. I can assure you it does not have that flaw. I'd be happy to escort you to our lab and prove it."

"Thank you. Just crossing our Ts, you know," he grinned as she led the way.

* * *

Parker found her way into Anna's bedroom. She began hunting for a safe or hidden trap door.

"She sure is messy," Parker muttered as she stepped over a pile of dirty laundry.

"Should be easier to find something," Eliot added as he turned out of the hall into another room.

The walls were a subtle shade of gray and the furniture sparse. Indentations in the carpet revealed the recent former location of a desk and chair. Eliot turned his attention to the only objects in the room- a crib and an old bookcase converted to a changing table.

"I found a nursery," he commented. "Looks like she's keeping Elena right here at the house."

"How do you know it isn't for her kid?" Parker whispered into the com.

"Pictures, Parker. There's no pictures of a baby anywhere in this room or downstairs. No toys either," Eliot observed. "And there used to be an office in here until very recently."

"So where is Elena now?" Hardison asked.

"Well, she won't want to draw attention, so if she's playing 'mom' at night, I would assume she'll use some sort of caretaker during the day," Sophie thought out loud. Delilah sat stone-faced at one laptop, trying to ignore the discussion.

Nate considered the options for a moment as he trailed Anna. As he read the passing door tags, one demanded his attention- Day Care.

"You have a business day care? How CONSIDERATE to your employees," Nate emphasized the word to cue Hardison.

"Business day care? On it, Nate." Hardison typed away on the other laptop.

"Yes, having a day care on site is a convenience to our employees. One less stress, it allows them to work easier," Anna expounded as she continued her march to the labs.

"Nothing, Nate. She doesn't have a kid at the day care. Checking off site facilities now," Hardison frowned.

"What about her husband?" Parker asked, still scoping out the bedroom.

"She never remarried, Parker," Hardison quipped.

"Well _SOMEONE_ wears a 36 inch waist boxer brief…" Parker held up the underwear by the waistband with two fingers and scrunched her face.

"All right, checking all new additions in the last two weeks" Hardison sighed as everyone waited. "BINGO! One girl, Ralena Thomas- vitals match Elena. She is listed as the daughter of the Head of Security, Reginald Thomas. Anyone surprised that Reggie boy has been employed by Pharmix for about three months? After quitting his job at TSP?"

"We have our inside man," Nate muttered.

"What was that?" Anna stared at Nate.

"I said you keep your labs well inside the main facility," Nate lied.

"Yes…" she replied in slow suspicion.

"I found something," Delilah interrupted. Sophie and Hardison quickly scrambled over to see her screen.

"What is it?" Sophie pried.

"Carlos was hacking TSP's servers as well as other companies."

"Keeping tabs on the competition," Eliot commented as he exited the nursery. Parker met him in the hallway.

"So now we have Elena's location, the man who took her and our drug trial culprit. What we DON'T have is the proof to tie them all together," Sophie recapped.

"You're going to try and get them arrested for this? How do you know you can? Or for that matter- how do you know they won't use their power to fight it? This is MY daughter… DAMN your little crusades! We should get her safe!" Delilah shouted.

"I understand and your daughter's safety is priority- but rushing in to get her without stopping Anna won't guarantee she'll be safe from another attempt. The only way to make sure she is safe is to make sure Anna can't hurt anyone ever again. This is what we have done for the last five years. We're going to make sure your daughter is safe from these people forever," Sophie soothed.

"She's right, Delilah. They won't hurt Elena until the press conference. Just give us a little more time," Eliot added.

Delilah stared Sophie in the eyes, looked at Hardison, and sighed angrily. Her fingers clenched, relaxed, and went back to the keyboard. Once she drew her eyes back to the screen, Sophie and Hardison returned to the second laptop.

"That was close," Hardison whispered so only Sophie could hear. She nodded.

* * *

"Here is the lab with the Bathaline research. The files are on this computer terminal and the paper copies are in the cabinet there," Anna explained. "There is a camera in every corner for your safety. I'll unlock what is pertinent to your investigation." She entered a guest account on the computer.

When she left to unlock one of the file drawers, Nate quickly shoved a USB drive into the computer. "Thank you, Ms. Pallax. I shouldn't be too long. Once I confirm the differences between your products- the sooner I'll be out of your way," Nate smiled.

"I have some business to attend, but there is an intercom button here. Just page the front desk when you are done and someone will escort you out," she explained as she headed for the door.

"Right."

Anna exited the room as Nate sat at the terminal. "Hardison?"

Hardison punched a few keys on the laptop. "Getting access now…"

"Grab what you can, I'll sift through the paper files. Parker, Eliot- you head back to the hotel."

"On our way, Nate," Eliot replied as he and Parker exited the house.

The screen on Hardison's laptop began flashing.

"What is that?" Sophie furrowed her brow as she stared at the screen.

"Found something already," Hardison opened a window. A chemical breakdown appeared on the screen. "Oh, you are sneaky," he smiled.

"What did you find?" Nate asked.

"The syringe they asked Delilah to use- it's filled with a diluted form of Bathaline. Essentially it would give the appearance that he'd been using ANNA'S product all this time."

"Explains the suicide- grief over lying to everyone, she thought this out." Nate was impressed.

"Now our problem is the only way to link Anna to the syringe is for Delilah to testify. Even if there was a way for her to testify without being arrested, it would be the word of a known killer against a CEO. A court is never going to take Delilah at her word," Sophie fretted.

"I'm working on it," Nate answered.

* * *

Parker and Eliot entered the hotel room. Sophie and Hardison were glued to the laptop screen and chatting back and forth.

"Nate's about ten minutes out," Hardison informed them when he saw them come around the table.

"So any idea what we're going to do now?" Parker asked.

Eliot frowned as he glanced around the room. "Where's Delilah?"

"What?" Hardison looked around the room frantically. "She was looking at Titus' recent activity."

"Dammit, Hardison!"

"Hey, man, Sophie is here too…" Hardison pointed out.

"She wouldn't have gone…" Sophie gasped.

"A trained assassin whose daughter is being held hostage… yeah, that doesn't sound like someone who would rationally NOT go after the kidnapper…" Eliot sniped.

"If she kills Anna…" Parker began.

"We'll lose any chance to straighten this mess out."

"Would we?" Hardison asked.

"Who looks more guilty? The one who denies the trial and walks away alive? Or the 'blamed' party who ends up dead?" Eliot pitched.

"Good point."

"We have to find her before she gets Anna," Sophie blurted.

"Only way will be to get Elena safe," Eliot reminded.

"Hardison and I can get Elena. You two can join Nate and find Delilah," Parker offered.

"Are you sure?" Sophie breathed.

"Yeah, it's a day care- how hard can it be?" Parker shrugged.

"We need to go NOW!" Eliot barked.

Sophie hit her ear bud, "Nate, we have a situation."

* * *

After Sophie filled Nate in on the team's newest dilemma, he immediately headed back to Pharmix. He approached the reception desk quickly, trying to hide his nerves.

"I need to speak with Ms. Pallax immediately."

The elderly receptionist sighed, "I'm sorry, Mr. Morrison, she just left. If you hurry you may catch her in the parking garage."

"Parking garage? Thank you," Nate clarified.

"Got it, Nate. We're arriving now," Eliot answered as he and Sophie pulled into the parking stall. "I'll get the second level."

"Good luck," Sophie replied.

"You find her- be careful and call me in."

"I got it."

Eliot frowned at her. "I'm not kidding, Sophie. She's running on anger- even I don't know what she's liable to do."

Sophie nodded solemnly.

* * *

Hardison adjusted his tie as he stared at the entrance to Pharmix. "I'm heading in, Parker."

"I should get there on time," she answered as she pulled the grating loose from the air conditioning duct. She took a deep breath of roof air as she adjusted the bag slung over her shoulder.

* * *

Sophie wandered through the maze of cars scattered on the first level.

"Executive parking is one level up." Nate's voice startled her.

"Eliot went up there," she responded.

"Let's hope he's in time," he added as he strode up next to her.

* * *

Anna stopped next to her Mercedes Benz in the corner of the garage. The silver color glistened and flashed off her deep maroon suit. A tall, well dressed, dark man approached her.

"Heading out for the day?" he asked.

"Yes, Reginald. Any news from our girl?"

"Nothing. What if she fails to kill him in time?"

"Kill the girl… I have contingencies. We don't have to worry about anything. No one can tie us to her or that hacker of hers. She can cry all she wants."

"You assume I would use the law to fight you," Delilah growled. Anna and Reginald turned to see her. She stared them down from across the garage.

"No, you're the hands-on type, aren't you?" Anna chided. "Sadly you seem to be rather ineffective. I would have expected Theo to be dead days ago. You're slow."

"I'll show you effective…" Delilah hissed as Reginald smiled. He slid his jacket off and pulled two knives from the inner lining. He gave each knife a twirl before charging Delilah. She braced herself, watching the blades as he closed the gap.

* * *

Hardison was shown to the day care immediately. The intern escorting him was all too relieved to leave him in the hands of the day care supervisor, Mrs. Blosset.

"Mr.?" Mrs. Blosset began.

"Charles Laurait," Hardison answered in a snooty French accent. "I'm with the Department of Health and Human Services. We've received numerous complaints about possible lead paint contamination from this location."

She furrowed her brow for a moment. "Mr. Laurait, I assure you no lead paint is found in this facility. The day care was established a year and a half ago. This entire area was gutted and redone. I can show you the closed work orders."

"I do want to see them- as well as every toy, painted piece of furniture or other item in this facility that could be responsible."

"Right this way," she waved him to a small office tucked round the corner from the main door. The secondary day care worker watched them both nervously.

"I'm going to want to speak with your staff as well. Starting with… YOU." Hardison pointed at the second worker, who could only muster a squeak.

"Yes, of course," Mrs. Blosset choked as she pulled the office door closed behind Hardison and herself. The worker crept over toward the main door. Once there, he looked back out at the children watching him.

"Nap mats- we're taking a five minute cool down. Shhhh," he ordered. The handful of older children spread out the mats and helped the younger ones to a mat. Toddlers and infants watched from a couple of playpens. Once the children had settled, the worker closed the main door, flipped the lock and turned the lights low.

Parker lay in the duct work overlooking the middle of the room. She pulled up a picture of Elena on her cell and scanned the dozens of faces she could see below. The little girl was curled up in the corner of one of the playpens immediately to Parker's left.

"I see her. Buy me sixty seconds," she whispered into the com.

The second worker crept back to the office door to listen. As he began to lean in, the door burst open- leaving him face to face with Hardison. His eyes grew wide in fear and shock.

"Just who I wanted to see, do YOU have records for all the items in this facility?" Hardison snapped as Parker opened the ceiling grate.

The grate gave off a small click as she opened it, loud enough to catch the worker's attention. He began to turn away toward the sound when Hardison barked at him again.

"Excuse me?! Are you dismissing me? You have something to hide? Do you?"

The man whipped back toward Hardison and shook his head wildly from side to side. "No, sir."

"Then maybe you should LOOK at me when I talk to you!"

"Yes, sir."

Parker dropped down from the grate opening. A couple of kids spotted her and started to whisper. She shushed them and opened a pocket on her rigging. By the time her toes touched the floor, both her hands were filled with candy. Several hungry eyes smiled at her as she tossed the candy around. "Shhh…" she mouthed as she tiptoed to the playpen.

Elena had sat up to see the commotion. Parker smiled at her and breathed, "Hi. What do you say we take you to see your momma?"

She picked her up. Elena nestled into her shoulder and wrapped her arms around Parker's chest, clutching fistfuls of her shirt. The unexpected attachment startled Parker. She twisted her lip and shrugged. A button push later and they ascended to the duct work above.

"Obviously I am going to get nowhere here. I will give you twenty four hours to get your paperwork in order." Hardison shook his head in disgust.

"Yes, we will have everything in order for you," Mrs. Blosset answered as she left her desk to move her coworker out of Hardison's way.

Parker clicked the grate closed.

Hardison paused at the main door. "Everything…" he reminded her.

Mrs. Blosset nodded, "Absolutely, yes, everything."

Hardison gave a single nod, unlocked the main door and took his leave.

"Whew…." Mrs. Blosset sighed. She glanced at the children- all grinning and covered in candy residue. "You gave them candy?!" she demanded.

"No, I didn't. I don't know where they got it from," her coworker fretted.

"Well, they got it from _SOMEWHERE_ and you were supposed to be watching them!"

* * *

Delilah focused all her anger and fear on the two blades quickly approaching. The man wielding them was no amateur. She was unarmed and knew she would take a few slices.

Fifty feet… forty feet… thirty… His approach was nearly complete.

Suddenly Delilah heard a familiar growling roar as a blur crossed her vision removing Reginald from her view. Her eyes followed the travelling direction of the blur. Off to her left, Eliot had Reginald pinned against the hood of a Buick. The collision had knocked one knife out of his hands; the other was now the center of the men's struggle. Clutching the knife tightly in his dominant hand, Reginald swung his free fist at Eliot's blind side. The impact caused Eliot to shake his head momentarily. Reginald was able to shake his other arm free. Eliot snorted as he glared at his opponent. Both men took a breath before Reginald lunged at Eliot, slicing the air. Narrowly avoiding the blade, Eliot dove in close as he landed two blows. One went squarely into Reginald's diaphragm; the second collided with his throat. Reginald collapsed, fighting for air. Eliot rolled his shoulder as he circled back around to deliver a final face shot to put him down.

"Dammit, Spencer! I DON'T need your help! I'm not one of your damn charity cases!" Delilah hissed as Eliot frowned at his fingers poking through the knife holes in his sleeve.

"You promised me," Eliot replied calmly as he approached her. "Nobody dies."

"Technically I never did," Delilah answered, "and that was before I learned she killed Carlos. She was going to kill Elena!"

"She won't. I told you we got this. Elena is safe."

A gun shot echoed through the garage. Eliot swallowed as he watched Delilah drop. He turned around as he heard the gun being prepared to fire again. Anna had her sights lined up to him by the time he faced her. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

The sound that came to his ears wasn't the squeeze of the trigger that he expected. Instead, he heard a familiar impact sound with muffled cries. He opened his eyes to see Anna hit the pavement. Sophie stood over her, shaking out her fist. Nate looked approvingly from behind her.

"Timing's a little off," Eliot muttered.

"You're welcome," Sophie smiled.

Delilah coughed. Eliot knelt down to check her wound. She had her hands pressed firmly against her abdomen. Her breathing was jagged and forceful. Blood was spreading quickly. When Eliot reached over to move her hands, she waved him off.

"Don't bother," she choked. "I've delivered my fair share of these." She winced and leaned her head back.

Eliot scowled, "I'm sorry."

She looked up at him. "Are you sure Elena's safe?"

Sophie and Nate stopped just behind Eliot. "Hardison told us. They have Elena with them. She seems to have taken a shine to Parker," Sophie answered with a soft smile. Nate squeezed her shoulder and made his exit.

Delilah laughed and nodded.

"We'll get her home safe," Eliot vowed.

"Thank you." She lifted her head to glance at her wound and fell back again. A handful of curses in Russian escaped under her breath. Sophie and Eliot blinked back their surprise.

"You're Russian?" Eliot noted.

Delilah giggled in defeat. Her accent was heavy as she addressed him. "Can't say I'm surprised… that you didn't know." Her speech was getting more broken and jagged as she struggled to speak.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You're good, Spencer… but you still have a few things… to learn… about women. You still think you can read… them in a few moments… and they continue to surprise you. Not that that's a… bad thing… but it could be." Sophie bit back a giggle of agreement.

Delilah tried to readjust her position until a sharp pain stalled her.

"Are you sure there's nothing we can do?" Sophie offered.

"Promise me… she'll never get near my… daughter again."

"Nate is seeing to that as we speak."

"Delilah…" Eliot began.

"Tanya," she corrected. "Tatiana Orlova… I always prefer Tanya… I figure someone should know. Looks… looks like it's the two of you."

Eliot nodded.

"Do you have any family that you would like us to notify?" Sophie inquired.

"No one… not for a long time." She winced. "I do have one request."

"What is it?" Eliot asked.

"Please leave… this is about to get… rather unpleasant… and I don't… I don't want anyone to see that. Please."

Sophie nodded and tapped Eliot's shoulder. He sighed and stood up. After giving Delilah a single nod, he and Sophie made their way out of the garage in silence.

* * *

"So how did you tie Anna to everything without Delilah's testimony?" Parker queried as the team made their way from bag check to the security booth at the airport.

Hardison gave one laugh. "Titus. He left a bread crumb trail in everything Anna had him access. Delilah found it… actually it looked like he was trying to send her a message. It was pretty easy to follow once you knew it was there. All I had to do was put the FBI on the right track and they were able to do the rest. And her comments on security footage in the garage were helpful too."

"You left the security footage?!" Eliot demanded.

"With a little alteration… seems Anna tried to set up Reginald and may have knocked herself out after Delilah took out poor Reggie." Hardison rubbed his chin as he recalled his new chain of events.

"Ow…" Parker smiled.

"Yeah."

"Yes. Delilah may have actually better ensured her daughter's safety this way," Nate noted.

"How is that?" Hardison frowned.

"Anna knew who she was… really was. That kind of information is always powerful and dangerous. Within an hour, there would have been others knocking down the door to get Elena."

"With Delilah dead, there's nothing to gain by going after Elena," Sophie sighed.

"It still feels like a loss though," Hardison frowned.

"Anna Pallax and Reginald Thomas will face murder, conspiracy, and kidnapping charges- on top of the charges from the drug trial. The Pharmix board of directors is paying the medical costs of everyone involved in the trial- as well as other damages to try and stave off the lawsuits. Elena is back home and Spezia is alive and preparing to launch the Amatheline drug on schedule," Nate recapped.

"But Delilah… can we really call this one a win?" Hardison sighed.

"Take it…" Nate replied as he continued toward the security lines. Sophie and Parker followed on his heels. Hardison and Eliot exchanged frowns before continuing to trudge behind.

"You have a safe trip home, Ms. Orlova." The ticket clerk's voice carried straight to Eliot's ear and stopped him dead in his tracks. His eyes darted to the woman at the counter.

"Thank you. I can already smell the bread in my mother's bakery. It has been too long," the woman responded in a heavy Russian accent.

He couldn't be positive of the voice, so Eliot waited for the woman to turn.

"Hey, Eliot," Hardison's hand grabbed his shoulder, "We're gonna miss our flight, man."

Instinct made Eliot glance at Hardison. "Yeah, I'm coming." He quickly rolled his eyes back toward the counter, but the woman was gone.

"You okay?" Hardison asked.

Eliot thought for a moment before he smiled. "Yeah, man. I'm good."


End file.
